Nerd Trap
by TheKillerJill
Summary: In a few months until graduation, the teens already agreed to make the best of their high school years memorable before going their separate ways. Already in relationships and living life to the fullest, they got everything they wanted. One member, Querl, on the other hand, already achieved everything he needs instead. Not if his friends have anything to do with it. Modern AU


**So, guess who went back and rewatched an old series that made my childhood since I moved to a new state? Yeah, But the thing is, because that I rely solely on the series and not the comic books, there weren't going to be any deep backstories or any of that stuff. Sorry to you hardcore DC fans. It wasn't until I forgot that I had a ship before I knew what a ship was. And you should know, I thought my reason back then had made some sense. Don't like, don't read. That's all I'm asking and we'll get along just fine. There will be other side ships too.**

**WARNING: This has been a long time since I've watched LOSH so I apologize for the inaccurate portrayal of some, if not all, individual characters presented here. Beware for any OOC things. Also: They are humans with no powers so they use their real names. Modern AU story.**

* * *

"C'mon, Brainy. It'll be fun!"

"Garth! Unhand me this instant!"

Trying his upmost best not to snicker, Clark held his right hand to cover his mouth while watching the youngest of his friends struggling to worm his way out under the strong arms of the other. His glasses repeatedly slipping from the bridge of his nose from lowering his head down. The two senior boys were invited to go to a birthday party and they were allowed to bring one more guest. Of course, all of their other friends had already been given invitations, so they don't even know who should they bring. Until one of their classmates, Luornu mentioned to Clark that Imra wanted to give the invitation card to Querl Dox, aka Brainy, but he refused to go. Garth overheard this and decided to make him go.

"Garth Ranzz, for the last time. Let. Me. Go." Querl then started to whine.

"Then tell us why you don't want to go to Imra's birthday party?" Garth asked while he prepares to lower the smaller boy down.

Querl huffs his now-wilted bangs in the air despite knowing it would fall back between his forehead. "It's nothing against going to an enthusiastic festivity with my companions. It's just that I don't find any interest in going there."

"_No interests_?" He separated his arms around the boy and crossed them in front of his chest. "Think about all the goodies you can eat there!"

"I have a slow metabolism." Querl informed.

"Aw, but think of the music!"

"They make my ears bleed."

"Ohh, but think of the ladies!"

"The majority of them will be our friends, are they not?"

"Exactly!"

Querl rolled his eyes in annoyance. It seems that the jock is willing to do anything to make him give in.

Clark walked up to his two comrades. "Brainy, you've been cooped up in your room practically your whole life. We just want you to have a great time for once."

"Great time?" The youngest raised a brow in surprise. "But I have been spending my great time studying, researching bimolecular chemicals relating to conserve natural resources and-"

"Boooooring!" Garth droned out.

"It's not!"

"Brainy…" Clark started by placing his right hand on his friend's shoulder. "I know what you do is…fun to you, but it couldn't hurt to try something different for once."

Querl's face read a mixture of uncertainty and apathy. Try something different, he said. Querl of course has studied many things and nothing in the world would make him happier than to be open-minded about the activities people would be willing to act upon. Little does he know, without the experience of doing something outside of his home that being told or asked to do something out of his ordinary routine would lead him to puzzlement.

"Plus, it's the weekend. Lighten up a little." Garth patted the boy's back in reassurance.

After a moment in thought, Querl finally decided. "Alright. One hour, but that's it."

Clark's smile increased as Garth jokingly jabbed Querl's shoulder blade.

"Alright, Brainy! Let's go!" Garth was about to head for the door if it weren't for the said boy letting out a sound of halting.

"Just give me a minute to change." Querl said before heading upstairs to his room. Leaving both of his friends downstairs to wait.

Meanwhile, at the location where the party will take place, Imra set the party tables with chips, sodas, sweets with plates and napkins. With the help of Luornu to hang party streamers all over the ceiling of the living room.

Tinya floated around the place taking snapshots of the area by each foot.

"Tinya, what're you doing?" Luornu questioned her female friend with hands beside her hips.

The dark-haired girl with the camera turned around and pursed her lips in a pouty way. "Making the best of the memories for our future. We all can't stay in high school forever. In the next few months, we'll graduate and head off to our separate ways."

"Yeah, well you're supposed to take pictures of _people_ that you care about for your memories, not my _house_." Imra cut in between.

"Well, maybe I _want_ to remember what your house looks like." Tinya sassed back. "I might as well grow old and be senile while still remembering how much you and Garth had a thing~"

Imra's face immediately flushed in red at the comment. "Aww, your face is red." Luornu cooed.

"There is nothing going on between me and Garth!"

"Your face says it otherwise." Poked Tinya.

Imra's glare slowly turns into a playful smirk. "Then you wouldn't forget about your long 3-year crush on Brin, wouldn't you?"

It was Tinya's turn to blush red, less brightly than Imra's since her skin is more pale. Also, unlike Imra, her face didn't look like she was shocked at all.

"O-of course I won't! Because Brin and I are gonna get married and frolic into the sunset." Her hands folded together against her bosom as she dreamily sigh in content.

Both Imra and Luornu exchanged weird looks until Tinya guffawed after acting out on a cliché romantic image of herself. The three girls then later joined together in a giggling fest before forming a group hug. Their moment is then interrupted by a doorbell ringing.

Imra was the first to separate from the group. "I'll get it."

Once she opened the door, she found herself face to face with a group of teenagers at around the same grade as she is currently. Imra greeted her friends in an orderly fashion.

"Rokk! It's great to see you! Nura, I'm so glad you came. Gim, have you grown an inch? Andrew, looking spiffy as ever!"

"Happy Birthday!" All of them shouted in unison.

"Will there be cakes involved?" Gim added.

Imra giggled. "Why wouldn't there be?"

They each had individual colorful wrappings of different shapes and sizes. "We also got you gifts." Rokk suavely mentioned while lifting up his present.

"Oh…you shouldn't have." Imra placed her hand on her chest and look at everyone thoughtfully.

"Well, it is your birthday, so we should!" Andrew exclaimed.

Imra allowed them to enter and just as she was about to close the door she heard a gruff cough.

Imra looked left to right until the second time she heard it again that she looked down. She spotted dark hair with some purple highlights covering the right face of a small pale girl.

The girl tapped her foot acting offended. "Oh, I'm sorry, was I not supposed to be invited?"

Imra flung the door opened while still holding onto the knob. "Violet! Ah, sorry about that. I didn't realized you there…" She nervously laughed.

Although still not letting that get by her, Violet strolled pass Imra giving the older girl the look of unamusement. "'Course you didn't," Violet paused before handing a small wrapped box to Imra's face. "Happy Birthday, anyway."

Imra's face brightened. "Thank you, Violet."

"So," From the other side of the room, Rokk announced. "Are we gonna start the party or what?"

"Yeah, girl." Nura looked around in agreement. "The night is still young and it looks like you already got the place set up."

"Actually, I was hoping that maybe we should wait for more people before we start to lighten things up." Imra said otherwise. "It is _my_ birthday after all."

"You know who's the real party starter?" Luornu suggested. Everybody pondered for a moment until a noise caught their attention.

And just right on time, the person she was thinking about had barged through the door as it pared open a rounded person.

"The party don't start 'til I walk in!" He bellowed in his loud sing-like tune.

"Chuck!" All the girls except Imra called out. Luornu jumped on the shoulder of the said young man and kissed him tenderly on the cheek.

The males all gather around him, commenting on how surprising and clever his entrance was. "You know, if you actually burst through the door at the exact time you arrived here, it would've been perfect." Andrew suggested.

Chuck stared at him for a while. "But I did."

Imra strode at the front and center of the gatherings, eying Chuck accusingly. "You were lucky that this door didn't break, if it did, my parent are going to freak." Knowing Imra, anything that gets her in trouble with her extremely wealthy family would cost her their trust as a reliable young lady.

"You know how much that door cost us?" She motioned to the door.

"Yeah, yeah, like a bazillion dollars, big whoop." Chuck waved his hand off as he made his way to the party table. "I know how rich you are. Don't worry about it." His hand rubbed against each other while his mouth started to water. "So, what's good to eat?"

"I'll start the karaoke!" Luornu piped.

"Keep it at a medium volume!"

Not so long after the arrival of Chuck at the house of Imra's, Garth paced back and forth around the outside porch impatiently. "What's taking him so long?"

"I don't know." Clark answered guessingly. "It shouldn't take that long to get dressed, right?"

The door finally creaked opened Querl in a purple vest over a peach-colored blouse. In contrast to the other two males, Clark wearing a red turtle-necked sweater and light navy blue jeans and sneakers, and Garth wearing ragged blank white t-shirt and rigged tan shorts, his outfit looked formal.

Garth frowned in response. "Brainy, we're going to Imra's house, not an interview."

Querl looked down upon himself and tugged on the lower area. "I feel that by wearing this, it would support not changing my mind about attending the party."

"Come on, let him wear what he wants." Clark checked his wristwatch. "Besides, we're gonna be late."

"Alright, let's move." Garth strode on the sidewalk, leading them to their destination. While the trio continued to walk, the clouds hovered over the moon and the stars began to glisten even more. They then passed the third tree from the opposite end of the neighborhood.

Garth pointed ahead a rainbow-lighted mansion. "Well, this is the place. You guys wait here," He turned to the other two and headed right to a much smaller building on the left.

Clark stuttered before rearranging the right words to say. "Where are you going?"

"I forgot to get something from my house! Be right out!" Garth yelled from the inside building.

Clark crossed his arms in dismay. "And he could've gotten it instead of pacing back and forth like a spoiled brat."

"I did appreciate him waiting for me, though." Querl chimed. Both boys exchanged smiles.

While waiting, Clark noticed a sudden change in Querl's facial features. "Hey, Brainy?"

Querl's head shot up in response to his friend. "Yes, Clark?"

"You're not...are you okay?"

"Fine. Just waiting like you are." Querl turned his head back to his original position.

Awkward silence filled around the atmosphere surrounding the two friends. Clark once again broke the silence. "Ahem. Are you sure?"

Querl became quiet for a while before answering back in his exact words. "Of course I'm fine. What makes you think I'm not?"

"Your face." Clark remarked which caused the other to raise a brow confusingly. "I don't mean that as a joke, I mean that I can see something is bothering you…by your face."

Pairs of green pupils locked onto the pavement ground; avoiding any eye contact from the taller teen. Clark heaved a sigh.

"Brainy, we've been friends for a long time." He continued to pursue the topic this time by elbowing on his friend's side. "So, what's wrong?"

Querl's shoulders lowered down in defeat but still looking down. "I know that participating with you and our friends won't be any different as other times at the mall and during lunch, but I don't know what I am supposed to do at a party."

"I've never actually been to one because I kept on neglecting invitations." His voice admitted. "So I'm afraid I might do something…unorthodox-like."

"Look," The older of the two acknowledged. "You know that I know what it's like to be an outcast. Take middle school as an example." When he joked it made the younger chuckled lightly.

"Besides Brainy, we're your friends. We won't ever accused you of doing anything weird." Clark paused. "I would worry about one of the guys doing something stupid than that."

This being said made Querl smile. "That is true."

"Guys! Guys! I found it!" A distant voice by Garth from the second floor had been heard from outside. His arm waved around the heart-shaped box with red ribbons and purple wrappings with flowers on them.

"Found it? You mean, you've been searching around your house for it this whole time?" Clark became really amused.

"Hey, g-give me a little credit here." Garth blurted out. "I planned this for about a month ago, so if you mix that with schoolwork-"

"Which you procrastinated and or lazed off since freshman year." Querl added with a smirk.

Garth dipped his hand down against his remarked friend's head playfully. "Shut up, brainiac." Querl let out uncontrolled giggles at this.

"How long have I been inside? Twenty…ten minutes?" Garth asked Clark.

Adjusting his glasses and lifting up his arm, he read out his wristwatch. "Close, but no cigar. Half an hour."

"Aw, shit." Garth cursed. "Oh well, at least Imra wouldn't start the party without us."

"I dunno about that, Garth." Clark placed a finger under his chin in a pondering manner. "Knowing Rokk might be there already, she might already have."

And just like that, the orange-haired teen dashed his way to the mansion. Without giving the other two a time to blink.

"Wow, he must be desperate." Clark commented.

"Indeed." Querl agreed. "Affection can sure be a wondrous thing."


End file.
